1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for folding and collapsing objects supported by flexible loops to obtain a compact folded configuration for convenient storage and transportation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of objects incorporate the use of one or more flexible loops which are made of spring material. One example is a bandsaw, which is made of a flexible steel loop. Other examples include the automobile sunshades shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,784 to Zheng and U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,262 to Huang, and the shade structures shown and described in co-pending Ser. No. 07/764,784 to Zheng, filed on Sep. 24, 1991, and entitled "Collapsible Shade Structure", all of which describe shades having one or more flexible loops covered by a fabric material.
The size of such bandsaws and automobile sunshades, for example, may be very large, so that it is desirable to fold and collapse them to obtain a compact configuration which may be stored and transported conveniently. In this regard, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,815,784 and 5,024,262 and Ser. No. 07/764,784 describe how such sunshades may be manually folded to obtain the desired compact configuration.
However, manually folding and collapsing such loops may be a difficult task for a number of reasons. First, a person attempting to fold such loops for the first time is likely not familiar with the twisting and folding steps that are required to reduce the overall loops to the compact configuration. Even after substantial practice, these steps are not trivial and require care and attention from the person for speedy and successful implementation. Second, the large size of such loops may pose unusual difficulties for persons of smaller physical build. Third, the springy nature of these loops coupled with their large size often pose a safety risk. For example, if the twisting and folding steps are not properly followed, the loops may spring open to their original unfolded configuration, causing potential injury to the person. Further, manually folding some objects, such as a bandsaw, may be prohibitively dangerous because of the size and the sharp edges of the loops.
There is therefore a need for a simple and inexpensive method and apparatus for safely folding objects incorporating flexible loops into smaller concentric loops to obtain a compact folded configuration which may be stored and transported very easily. There is also a need for such a method and apparatus to be easy to implement without any prior user knowledge.